Shoe-heel.



D. H. FINBERG.

SHOE HEEL. APPLICATION men 1mm. m9-

i,296,939. Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

WITNESSES: //v MENTOR.

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A T'TOR/VEX DAVID B. FINBERG, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SHOE-HEEL.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed January 10,1919. Serial No. 270,504.

I To all whom it may concern.-

Be it'known that 1, DAVID H. FINBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Heels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The present improvement is mainly directed to heels of w'omens shoes, especially heels known as French heels, although not necessarily restricted thereto, the invention being applicable as well to heels of mens and childrens shoes. The object of the invention is to provide a hollow metallic heel with a leather, rubber, or equivalent elastic or comparatively yielding terminal lift, which, as it wears away may be renewed from time to time, the body of the heel not being in any wise disturbed. A heel of the character referred to will outlast any ordinary pair of shoes, and in fact several pairs of shoes, making it'possi'ble to utilize the same set of heels for an indefinite period of time. The advantages of the invention will be apparent from a detailed description of the same in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a ladies shoe showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical middle longitudinal section through the heel; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with parts insection; Fig. 4:

is a top plan of the heel showing a portion of the stifiening plate interposed between the heel and shoe insole; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the heel, with parts broken away; and Fig. 6 is a plan of the tread of the heel with the lift removed.

Referring to the drawings, S, represents the upper of a conventional shoe for women, C, the counter of the shoe, and H, the heel. In the present embodiment of my invention the heel is hollow, being cast as a metallic shell of aluminum or equivalent light material, the bottom or tread end of the heel being provided with a socket 1, having inwardly andupwardly converging bounding walls to and a substantially flat roof as shown. The said socket receives a plug) 2 of leather, rubber, or the like, said plug ing secured in place withinthe socket by a central screw 3 the head of which is driven flush with the outer face of the plug, the threaded portion of the screw cutting its own threads in the walls of the passage-way 0 leading from the roof of the socket l, as it is driven home into and through said passage-way, it being remembered that the comparatively soft material (aluminum or its equivalent) of which the heel is composed will readily yield to the cutting edges of the threads of the screw driven intoit. As best seen in Fig. 5, the plug 2 is inclosed by the socket walls on all sides, said walls being extended across the breast of the heel as well as on the rear and sides. The plug when in place in its socket is flush with the tread or bottom of the heel, the portion of the heel bottom surrounding the plug being availed of to support the marginal portions of the tread-lift 4, the central portion of said lift being supported by the plug. The lift is secured to the plug by brads or nails 5 of sufficient length that when driven into and through the lift and into the-socket their nails may be withdrawn by the shoe repairer and a new lift attached or both the plug and lift may be renewed.

In a heel of the character described, the tread, as well understood in the art, is usually very small and there is accordingly not muchrroom for a large socket to receive the plug to which the lift is attached. Neither is there very much room for the accommodation of the nails 5 which hold the lift a in place. To prevent the marginal portions of the lift from curling or bending away from the tread portion of the heel surrounding the socket 1, it becomes necessary to drive theinails 5 as close as possible to the outer edges of the tread, thereby caus ing the marginal portions of the lift to hug the bottom of the heel. It is for this reason that the bounding walls of the socket 1 are made sloping or inwardly and upwardly converging, the sloping walls permitting the nails 5 to be driven close to the outer edges of the heel bottom. The said sloping walls perform another function, to-wit: The nails 5 are driven so as to engage the sloping walls at their free edges, and as the nail is driven home it is gradually bent inward by the inclined Wall of the socket until the point encounters the flat roof of the socket when the nail will be clenched over the upper face of the plug, the points of the several nails being deflected inwardly or toward the screw 3 by the sloping walls of the socket. In practice the nails are driven along the outer edges of the plug 2 (Fig.- 3) and not materially through it, so that the lift at is virtually suspended from the plug by the clenched ends of the nails. W'ere the nails driven nearer the center of the plug or out of contact with the sloping walls of the socket, the outer portions of the lift would not be held firmly to the bottom of the heel and the lift would soon peel ofl? from the heel.

A heel of the character described is usually formed with bosses or enlargements 6 serving as supports for a reinforcing plate 7 interposed between the heel and the insole 8 of the shoe to which the heel is secured. The bosses are provided with nails 9 which are-"passed through perforations of the plate and through the insole and clenched against the upper face of the insole.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. A one-piece heel provided with a socket leading from the tread of the heel, said socket having sloping bounding walls converging inwardly and upwardly, a plug deposited in the socket and having its bottom flush with the bottom of the heel, a central fastening member securing the plug to the roof of the socket, a lift engaging the bottom of the plug and the portions of the heel bottom surrounding the plug, and nails driven through the lift against the sloping walls of the socket and against the roof of the socket whereby the same are clenched over the top of the plug and hold the lift securely to the plug and to the bottom of the heel,

2. A metallic one-piece heel provided with a socket leading from the tread of the heel, said socket having sloping bounding w'alls converging inwardly and upwardly and a substantially flat roof, a plug deposited in the socket and having its bottom flush with the bottom of the heel, a central screw securing the plug to the roofof the socket, a lift engaging the bottom of the plug and the portions of the heel bottom surrounding the plug, and nails driven through the lift against the sloping walls of the socket and against the roof of the socket whereby the same are clenched over the top of the plug and toward the center of the plug and hold the lift securely to the plug and to the heel bottom.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID H. FINBERG.

Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, Jos. A. MICHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

